Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers
by GreySawyer
Summary: The crowd roared...the cheerleaders erupted. "This is YOUR team...this is YOUR gym!" Whitey shouted. But, it didn't matter how Lucas and Nathan played the game that night-it all came down to how the game played them. LP, NH, JB.
1. Chapter 1

Hi everyone! This is a story paying homage to the good old days of Tree Hill, written by myself and my best friend SavingGrace23. We hope you enjoy reading this as much as we did writing it :)

**Chapter 1**

Lucas Scott opened the door to his Mom's café and low and behold was none other than his best friend Haley James, cleaning behind the counter and bringing out a burger for one of the customers.

"Here you go sir, cheeseburger with no onions and extra mayo."

"Thank you young lady."

"You're very welcome."

"Hey you," said Lucas.

"Well, well, look who it is," Haley said as she walked up to him. "My best friend by day and Raven's point guard by night."

"You're hilarious."

"I know," she chuckled. "So are you ready for your shift? I could really use your help with the dishes in the back."

"Actually, I was wondering if you could do me a favor."

"Sure. You wash and I'll dry."

"Hales I'm serious."

"Are you going to bail on me before the game?"

"I'm sorry, but I need you to cover for me tonight. There's something really important that I need to do."

"Let me guess, broody pre-game ritual?"

"Look it's complicated; I'll explain it to you later."

Haley looked at him feeling annoyed and peeved, but she decided to let it go. Lucas never missed his shift. Letting him play hooky once wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

"Haley I promise this'll be a one time thing. I just really need you to help me out here."

"Oh all right," she said while rolling her eyes. "You go do what you need to do."

"Thank you so much Hales," Lucas said as he hugged her tight. "I knew there was a reason why you're my best friend."

"You won't have a best friend for too much longer if you continue to suffocate me."

"Oh right! Sorry." He let go of her. "Listen, I'm gonna take off, are we catching up after the game?"

"Hellz yeah! I'll wait for you in the gym."

"Awesome. See you later Hales."

"See ya."

Without another word Lucas ran out the door. Half smiling because she was curious and half because she was amused, Haley shook her head and got back to work.

* * *

><p>"How's the workout coming along son?" asked Dan Scott to Nathan, the one child he had not abandoned.<p>

"It was going fine until you showed up. You broke my concentration."

"If you're losing your concentration now how are you going to focus during tonight's game?"

"I'll manage," Nathan growled.

"Let me see those arms." Nathan reluctantly held out his right arm for his father's inspection. Dan always had something to say. He wondered if he would ever be good enough for his father to actually say, "I'm proud of you" for a change. Maybe he never would be.

"Your forearm is a little too tight. Circle your arms to loosen up. All that lactic acid build up won't be good for your lay-ups."

"I know Dad," he muttered.

"Hey, don't give me an attitude Nathan. I'm not the bad guy here. I'm trying to help you get better. You still have a lot of training ahead of you."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night."

"Alright that's it. Downstairs, 23 free throws in a row and if you miss one you start all over again. Lord knows your stats could improve on those shots."

Nathan was stung. He knew he wasn't the best but he was pretty damn good. He owned the Ravens. This was _his_ team.

Suddenly gaining a boost of confidence, he flashed a smug grin. "Alright Dad. I'll prove to you that I'm better than you think. I'll make all 23 shots and I'm gonna light up the scoreboard in tonight's game."

"Don't get too cocky Nathan. I don't want you to get your hopes up when you're way in over your head."

Scoffing at him, Nathan stormed out of his room more determined than ever to play the game of his life and shut Dan up once and or all.

* * *

><p>Lucas stood at the foot of the path to the river court, hidden from view by the plentiful willows of Tree Hill, North Carolina.<p>

He could see Peyton's profile perfectly from where she was seated facing the water atop the picnic table.

Lucas couldn't help chuckling to himself; Peyton never could follow the rules, even the simple ones about not sitting on surfaces people would usually use to eat. But the longer he looked, the less he laughed.

_God, she's so beautiful_, he thought.

Her frown was evident behind the sun colored curls that cascaded wildly over her shoulders—she didn't like to be kept waiting—but behind the scowl Lucas could see the girl that truly existed, the real Peyton Sawyer. She'd been sleeping, hiding, for who knew how long.

But she wouldn't be asleep for much longer, not if he could help it. _Not if I can help it…_ Lucas repeated to himself.

Lucas stepped into sight, his footsteps heavy on the gravel path.

Peyton turned at the sound and her expression brightened just seeing him.

"Hey blondie," he said as his upper lip curled up.

"Hey," she responded with a hint of angst in her tone.

"What's wrong Peyton?" Lucas gently brushed his fingers against hers, slowly intertwining them with his own as he looked into her eyes. Only he could look at her like that and really be able see her.

"Luke I need to talk to you about…all of this."

"What do you mean, 'all of this?"'

"I mean us, what we're doing. I just don't think it's such a good idea to keep meeting up like this."

"Why? What is it?"

"It's not…it's not anything, ok?"

"You've got to give me more than that, there's no way in hell I'm walking away without a fight." He took her face in his hands. "Look me in the eye and tell me you don't feel what I feel." Their lips became dangerously close as he then proceeded to softly graze his fingers down her arm until her hand was in his. He lifted her hand to his heart and whispered, "Do you feel this?"

Peyton could have died right then and there. It took every ounce of strength she had to restrain herself from taking Lucas all to herself and having her way with him at that moment, but she had to give him an answer. "Yes," she said breathlessly.

"You do know that you're the reason I feel that, don't you?"

"Luke it's not that I don't feel it too, it's just that…" She trailed off as her mind went to Nathan, her boyfriend. When she thought about it, things were easy with him. All she had to do was give it up when he wanted her to. No strings attached. No communication. Peyton had given Nathan her body, not her heart.

Lucas had captured her heart the moment he locked eyes with her.

Knowing her luck however, this relationship with Lucas would probably not last. Everyone she ever got close to emotionally always left her in some way, and if Lucas ever left her she wasn't sure she would ever get over that.

The sound of Lucas's voice brought her back to reality. "It's about him, isn't it?"

"Luke it's not what you think."

"No Peyton, its fine. I get it. I can't compete with the spoiled superstar, never could. I hope you two are very happy together." Lucas turned around and started storming off the river court.

Peyton slid off the table and began chasing after him. That's when it hit her: Lucas was worth the risk. Even if things didn't work out, she cared about him in a way she had never cared for anyone in her whole life.

Peyton finally caught up to him and put both hands on his shoulders forcing him to stop. When he did, she turned him around and kissed him fiercely. Lucas completely forgot why he was angry at that moment and lost himself in Peyton's lips. She clung to him tightly as he consumed her in his arms, his hands discovering every square inch of her back.

After making out for what seemed like hours, Lucas pulled back. "Wait," he panted. "What was that for?"

"I want you Luke. I want to be with you without having to sneak around and hide out from everyone."

"You really mean that?"

"Of course I mean it. Luke you're the first person aside from Brooke that looks at me and—and really sees me. You're the first guy that I've ever shared anything real with. I'm not giving that up…not by a longshot."

"I'm so happy to hear you say that, but I need to ask you something. Why were you being hesitant before?"

"I was thinking about what I was going to tell Nathan. I guess the you-know-what is going to hit the fan eventually, I was just trying to avoid it for as long as possible. He still is my boyfriend technically."

"Yeah, but not for long," Lucas grinned.

Peyton chuckled. "You're right; it won't be for too much longer. I'm gonna end it after the game tonight, and then we can celebrate afterwards."

"That sounds awesome, but I actually promised Haley I'd hang out with her after the game. You're not mad are you?"

"No, of course not. Brooke and I will find something to do, but I'm gonna hold you to a rain check mister."

Lucas grinned. "You got it beautiful." He put his hand on her cheek and kissed her gently. "Listen I've got to get going to suit up, but before I do I want to give you this." Lucas pulled out a folded piece of paper and handed it to Peyton.

"What's this?" she asked.

"It's a little something I wrote for you. When you read it I want you to know that I'm always thinking of you, no matter where I am or what I'm doing."

"Thank you, Lucas. I'll never go anywhere without it."

Lucas smiled and Peyton couldn't help but kiss him again. "I'll see you later hot shot. Knock em' dead tonight."

"Thanks. I'll be seeing you, Blondie."

* * *

><p>Peyton arrived at the mall fifteen minutes after she was supposed to meet Brooke. Eyeing the storefronts with trendy clothing that didn't leave much to the imagination, Peyton finally found Brooke hidden between racks of lingerie in Suburban Filth.<p>

"Well, well, P. Sawyer. I almost thought you ditched me." Brooke said jokingly as Peyton neared.

"Me ditch you? Never."

"I know," Brooke said flippantly as she returned her attention back to the underwear she'd been browsing through. "No one ever ditches me. Now, what do you think of these?" She asked, holding up a matching set of hot pink underwear.

"Ha," Peyton laughed sarcastically. "Nice."

"Glad you think so," Brooke said, ignoring Peyton's tone.

Peyton rolled her eyes and leaned against one of the shelves. "I'm sorry I'm late by the way."

Brooke grinned. "Exactly how sorry are you?"

"That depends on how big the favor you're about to ask for is," Peyton answered knowingly. She recognized the kind of smile on Brooke's face as one reserved for emergency favors only.

"Move a little to your left," Brooke said.

Peyton raised her eyebrows and leaned to her left. "Okaaaaaaaaaaay…"

"Perfect." Brooke said, hastily stuffing the underwear into her purse.

"Hey!" Peyton exclaimed.

"Shhhhh!" Brooke warned, glancing around them.

No one seemed to hear Peyton's outburst. It was just Brooke's luck they were the only two in the lingerie area.

Peyton swiveled around, finally locating the security camera she'd just blocked from catching Brooke as she pocketed the underwear. "You've got to be kidding me," she said incredulously.

"You are the richest teenager in Tree Hill."

"_Noooooo_," Brooke corrected, hooking her arm through Peyton's so the purse—and stolen underwear—was between them. "My parents are rich. I'm only rich when they don't take away my credit cards."

Peyton hung her head back as Brooke steered them towards the exit. "I can lend you the money. It's no big deal."

"I'm not letting you pay for me," Brooke said as if the notion was ridiculous.

Peyton bit her lip. In a matter of seconds they would leave the store and Brooke would move from bad girl by reputation to bad girl by criminal record; Peyton had to say something to dissuade her.

"Why don't you wear that leopard print nightie?"

"I can't," Brooke shook her head.

"Why not?"

"Because too many of the guys that are coming to the party tonight have already seen it. What if I decide to spend some quality time with one of them?"

"Brooke, you only got that nightie a week ago. How many guys have possibly seen it since-"

Brooke gave Peyton a pointed look.

"Oh…" Peyton groaned. "Can't you wear something old that the guys haven't seen in a while?"

"I can't be seen in a repeat! That is _so_ not Brooke Davis." She tightened her arm around Peyton's as they came within feet of the exit. "Just relax. We're fine. We're cool. We're—

"Excuse me girls?"

"We're innocent!" Brooke exclaimed.

Peyton didn't know whether to laugh of take off running.

The young security guard laughed. "I didn't say you weren't, although..." His voice trailed off as he took in Brooke's attire. Brooke narrowed her eyes playfully and he shook his head, grinning. "Here, you dropped this," he explained, extending his hand to Peyton.

Peyton recognized the small square of paper he held; _Lucas' poem!_ _It must have fallen out of my pocket, _she thought. "Thanks…Jake Jagelski?" she said, eyeing his nametag. Peyton breathed a quick sigh of relief at the realization that she and Brooke weren't busted by an older, more experienced security guard. Jake was a friendly acquaintance, and besides—how would it look to the other players if he allowed the most popular girl in school—and the Ravens locker room—to be busted on his watch? It would mean social suicide and having to endure a ton of crap from the rest of the guys. They were definitely in the clear.

She put Lucas' poem in her jacket pocket this time and zippered it shut to keep from loosing it. When she glanced up at Brooke again, she immediately recognized the flirty look on her best friend's face. Flirting with a security guard, who also happened to be one of the stars of the Ravens basketball team all while she had stolen merchandise in her bag; oh yeah, that was totally Brooke's style.

"Here we go…" Peyton thought, clearing her throat. "We should get going…we're late for that thing."

"What thing?" Brooke asked, not catching Peyton's drift.

"You know, that thing?" Peyton bumped the purse between them with her elbow.

"Oh, yeah! The thing. It's too bad. I was making a new friend. Nice seeing you, Jake." She winked at him.

He smiled back. "Always a pleasure Brooke." Without another word, the girls walked out of Suburban Filth Scott free.

"See," Brooke whispered to Peyton, "I told you we'd be—

"Hey! Look out!" Jake called from behind them.

But it was too late. Peyton and Brooke found themselves on the floor as a man ran passed, pushing a Haagan Dasz kiosk in the path of the mall security chasing him, and subsequently Peyton and Brooke.

A second later Jake tackled the man, and mall security took him away.

Peyton, covered in Blueberry Smoothie samples, staggered to her feet. "Brooke? Are you okay?" She asked shakily.

_Only with Brooke_, she thought. _This stuff only happens when I'm with Brooke._

Brooke was leaning up slowly. "Yeah…I think we just got free Haagen-Dazs for life…mmm, not bad," she commented, licking some smoothie from her cheek.

Jake laughed out loud as he jogged back over to them and pulled Brooke to her feet. "Some people just don't understand they can't steal without consequences." He said.

Brooke staggered at that, and Jake caught her.

"Would you like to try some Blueberry Smoothie?" She asked leaning closer to him.

Even Peyton had to laugh at that. Her breathing was just starting to return to normal when the thought occurred to her that Brooke's purse wasn't on her shoulder.

Simultaneously, the three of them looked down.

The only thing not covered in smoothie, the pink underwear stood out in stark contrast to the splatter of blue around it.

Peyton and Brooke looked at each other, then at Jake, the front of his uniform now mostly blue since Brooke had pressed against him.

Once again, Peyton didn't know whether to laugh or run. This time, she chose the latter. She grabbed Brooke's hand and they sped away, slipping every now and then from the smoothie on their shoes.

They were laughing hysterically, speeding down the highway in Brooke's car when they realized they'd left Brooke's purse behind.

As if they'd been watching the whole time, waiting for the girls to realize their mistake, a sheriff's siren sounded behind them.

**End of Chapter 1**

_Please Let Us Know How You Liked It-Reviews Only Give Us More Motivation To Write! _


	2. Chapter 2

_**Hi everyone! Savinggrace23 and I want to thank all of you for the wonderful reviews, we were so touched :) We had such a great time writing this so far and we can't wait to share more with all of you. So without further adieu, we bring you Chapter 2 of our OTH Saga!**_

Peyton looked Officer Crawford right in the eyes as she lied. "It's my fault, okay? I stuck the underwear in Brooke's bag when she wasn't looking." She couldn't believe how honest she sounded. Then again, she had a lot of practice lying. Nathan, her dad, Brooke, herself…the list went on and on.

"Peyton, stop it." Brooke turned from her best friend to face Officer Crawford. "Look, Peyton has nothing to do with this. She didn't even know I took the underwear."

Officer Crawford rolled his eyes. Those eyes of his had solved murder after brutal murder for the passed twenty years, but in the next six months they'd be useless. He could barely get around after dark these days, even with his new glasses. Regmintitis Pigmentosa was a bitch, plain and simple.

"She's lying to cover for me."

"Oh, _Peyton_," Brooke turned her hand in the right side of the handcuffs and squeezed Peyton's hand, shackled in the left side. "There is nobody I'd rather be handcuffed to—well, except maybe some of the Ravens—but you need to _shut up_."

Peyton smiled at her friend, then looked back at Crawford. "I took the underwear," she said seriously.

"_Peyton_!"

As he watched the two girls go back and forth, Crawford thought, _I had to give up homicide division for this? I should be back in Raleigh solving murders, instead I'm stuck here at a desk listening to Tweedle Dee and Twiddle Dum argue over who stole a pair of underwear…_

Brooke's words interrupted Crawford's thoughts. "Is this how you want to surprise your Dad when he comes home in two days? Hey Dad, missed you. Oh, by the way I got _arrested_ on Saturday."

"You think Victoria is going to give you any less grief about this?"

"Wait a second, Twee—I mean, Miss Davis," Officer Crawford shuffled around the forms Peyton and Brooke filled out. "Who is Victoria?"

"My Mother. Unfortunately…" Brooke added under her breath.

Officer Crawford sighed. "You conveniently left that out I see. Miss Sawyer, what does your father do for a living?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

His face hardened. "It has to do with whether or not you and your partner in crime get to sleep behind bars tonight or get to walk out of here with a different type of punishment."

Brooke rapidly waved the hand that was cuffed. "I'm all in favor for this different kind of punishment," she grinned.

"Quiet young lady. Miss Sawyer, do you have an answer for me?"

Peyton's eyes narrowed. "My father works out on a dredging boat. Half the time he's not even with me."

"And your mother?"

Brooke glanced at her friend with deep concern. "My mother died seven years ago. Are you happy now, Officer Friendly?"

Crawford's expression softened for the first time since they'd sat down, and Peyton took advantage of it. "Brooke's Mom is around about as much as mine is, so if you really do have an alternative to locking us up, we'd be the ones to discuss it with."

Crawford sighed. He hated to admit it, but Tweedle Dee and Dum were growing on him. After all, they'd each been trying to take the blame, not pin it on the other, and that wasn't something he'd seen a lot in his years as police officer. They may be selfish teenagers, but they genuinely cared about each other, that much was evident.

"All right, here's what I'm gonna do," he said.

* * *

><p>The Ravens Locker room was empty for now, but soon enough the rest of the team would be pouring in to suit up for the game. All that mattered was that Tim was completely alone at the moment.<p>

"Tim!" Nathan whispered. "_Tim!" _

Tim on the other hand, was in complete oblivion. Outside of bobbing his head back and forth, eyes closed, and singing along to the Nelly song thudding in his headphones—the rest of the world was completely obsolete.

But, not if Nathan Scott had anything to say about it.

The next thing Tim saw was Nathan slamming his locker shut.

"What the—

"What the hell is wrong with you man?" Nathan growled. "You look like an idiot."

"Ah, damn! You almost scared the Tim outta me!"

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

"Don't be so cold, Nate. The Tim has feelings too you know,"

He pouted.

"Whatever. I just need you to pull your head out of your ass long enough to be able focus on making sure that in an hour from now, I get control of the ball."

"You need to relax bro. I've got this covered. I know how tough Big Daddy is on you when we lose."

Nathan's brows furrowed. "Dude…did you just call my Dad, 'Big Daddy?"'

Tim looked up at him sheepishly. "Yeah…so?"

Nathan laughed. "You know, if you weren't a halfway decent player who constantly had my back out there, I'd kick your ass right now."

"But I AM—and don't you forget it." Tim said as he playfully punched Nathan's shoulder. "And speaking of having your back, you're welcome."

"For what?"

"For spreading the message bro! You know—about Operation Pucas."

Nathan paused for a second, looking Tim square in the eye. "Tim, are you sure _everyone_ knows?"

"It's all covered. The guys are on your side Nate."

Nathan pulled his jersey over his head. "And what about Jagelski? I noticed he was acting kind of friendly towards the bastard during practice."

"Man—Jagelski's harmless. Besides, he's been on this team for as long as we have. He knows not to mess with us." Tim put his schoolbag and the rest of his clothes in his locker and closed it.

"I hope you're right. I need tonight to go down in my favor. The game, the after-party…it'll teach this guy a lesson. You'll see Tim, I'm gonna come out on top."

"Yeah—on top of the scoreboard baby!" Tim high-fived him.

Nathan flashed his to-die-for grin. "That…among other things."

Tim lit up at the thought of their post game booty call prospects. "OOH, YEAH boy! We're gonna be scoring with the ladies tonight! You've gotta hook me up man."

"I'll see what I can do, but tonight is all about Peyton after the game. I've got a lot of kissing and making up to do, so make sure the guys know the Master bedroom is off limits."

Tim folded his arms. "What was she pissed about this time?"

"Oh, you know—the usual. I'm an insensitive jerk, I'm not understanding enough about her crappy music and drawings…I'm looking up Mallory Taylor's skirt in the stairwell…"

"Dude—everyone has looked up Mallory Taylor's skirt. It's not like she makes it that hard to get a peek."

"That's what I told her! It's not my fault Mallory is easy. Now, my memory is a little hazy on this, but did she or did she not make out with _every single_ guy on the team at our last party?"

"She did—and she loved every bit of her time with the Tim," he grinned, pointing both fingers at himself.

"Ok then. So it was only fair that I got a turn as well."

Tim nodded.

"Peyton doesn't understand that it's just bonding stuff with the guys. She knows she's my number one. And, after tonight, she's gonna remember that," Nathan winked.

Both boys turned around when they heard the double doors open to the locker room. Their time for plotting had come to an end. In came Ted and Mike, followed by Jake.

"What's up guys?" Nathan said.

"What's up is we're gonna win tonight—am I right Nate?" Ted replied. Mike added an enthusiastic "Yeah!"

"Damn straight man. You know what you need to do."

The two boys nodded in agreement.

"Yo Jagelski! You best be turning that frown upside down bro—victory is ours!" Tim said.

Jake smiled at him, but Nathan noticed there was something guarded in his expression. "Something wrong man?" he asked Jake.

Jake met his eyes in response, this time smiling genuinely. "No, nothing wrong at all. Like Tim said, we're gonna win tonight, right? Claim ourselves undefeated yet again?"

Nathan gave him a hard look. "Right."

"Great. Then let's do this." He stood up. "Together."

Nathan knew exactly what he meant, and there was no way he was going to let Lucas have any part in this. This guy was stirring up trouble for him left and right—throwing him off his game, causing hushed arguments between Dan and Deb behind closed doors that always carried themselves towards his room. Despite all of this, Nathan promised himself he wasn't going to let Dan and his mistakes interfere with his future. The same promise rang true for his father's other son.

He came back to reality as the double doors opened once again. This time, it was Lucas who entered.

The sight of Nathan and Tim alarmed Lucas at first, so he just stood there, letting the doors close slowly behind him.

Noticing the tension that could cut the air like a hard rebound, the other guys turned to Nathan, and then to Lucas, not knowing how to react. It was Jake who finally broke the ice with his words. "Hey Luke, are you ready for this?"

Lucas turned to Jake, exhaled and nodded. "Yes. I am."

* * *

><p>"How many hours of community service did he say we had to do?" Brooke asked.<p>

"Three hundred and fifty," Peyton said in her classic monotone from behind the wheel of her beloved Comet.

Brooke scrunched her face and whined, sliding down the leather seat.

"It's a fair deal. We voluntarily sign up for community service, Crawford pretends this whole thing never happened."

Brooke whimpered again. "Mmmmmmm….."

"Think of it this way, we made it out in time for game night. Wouldn't you have been sad if you missed the first game of the season?"

"Mmmm_hmmmm_."

"That's what I thought." She looked over at Brooke, the corner of her mouth curling up. "Listen girly, don't worry so much about this whole community service thing."

"But don't, like, really creepy guys in their upper forties who are post parole status have to do community service?"

"I'm betting it's not just guys in their forties. Probably fifties, and sixties, and…"

"Ew, gross! P. Sawyer if you think you are helping you are _not_!"

Peyton laughed for the first time since they got caught. "Listen Brooke it's gonna be fine. Besides, you've got me. Between the two of us no one stands a chance."

Brooke smiled. "Ho's over bro's?"

Peyton lifted her fist to pound Brooke's. "Ho's over bro's. And Crawford said we'd probably end up volunteering at Saint Francis' Hospital. Maybe if you ask nicely they'll let you candy stripe in the military wing for wounded soldiers. You know, some of those guys haven't seen a woman in six months…" She peeked at Brooke out of the corner of her eye.

Sure enough, Brooke popped up. "Really? Maybe this won't turn out to be such a bad thing after all." She winked.

_**We hope you enjoyed this chapter! A lot of good stuff is going to build up in the next one, so stay tuned :)**_

_**-Grey&SavingGrace**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

It was not your typical Friday night in Tree Hill. Not by a long shot. Not when the Ravens were playing the Bear Creek Warriors for the first time this season. And certainly, most especially, not when the team's newest shooting guard was Lucas Scott…the son of local café owner Karen Roe—and Dan Scott Motors CEO, Dan Scott.

The same Dan Scott who had another son on the Ravens—a son who played in the same exact shooting guard position from the time he was 11 all the way up until not that long ago. The same son who was now bumped out of his spot and playing as the Raven's small forward. The son who, up until tonight, was the only Scott brother ever to be acknowledged as the true leader and only praise-worthy protégé of the Ravens since his father 20 years ago.

Two estranged brothers playing on the same prestigious basketball team for the first time since they were old enough to hold a ball? This was more than just a Ravens game. This was the hotspot where Tree Hill's largest family controversy was about to unfold.

Thudding beats of "We Will Rock You" preluded the Ravens basketball game. The crowd roared in anticipation, slowly banding together in stomping their feet against the bleachers in paralleled rhythm to the beat of the song. Brooke closed her eyes for a moment and took it all in. This was it. This was the moment she loved most about game night.

She gave a glance towards Peyton before leading their squad to the middle of the gym floor to entertain the masses, like she had done at every game since she could remember. "Are you ready to do some damage P. Sawyer?"

Peyton gave her a curt nod and grinned. "With you? Always, B. Davis."

* * *

><p>Silence radiated the boy's locker room. No one dared breathe a decibel louder than they had to before he spoke.<p>

Whitey Durham took one hard look at his team before leading them out onto the court.

"Alright fellas, I'm going to say this one time and _one_ time only. If you run the plays _exactly_ like I told you to in practice, you're gonna beat these guys fair and square. Make sure your defense is up to par—I don't want to see anybody slacking out there or playing selfish. If you do, I'll know," he warningly grinned. "And if that happens your ass will be seated on that bench faster than you can blink." From the looks on their faces, the boys didn't question the seriousness in his tone.

"We're going to go out there now, but before we do I want y'all to remember one more important thing."

He looked every single one of his players in the eye. "This is YOUR team…this is YOUR gym!"

"YEAH!"

"Now go out there and do me proud. On the count of three: ONE, TWO, THREE—"

"RAVENS!"

Watching the rest of the team march out of the locker room all pumped up and ready to go, Lucas remained a little stiff and reserved. Thoughts of the game entered his mind, but so did thoughts of his Mom…and Peyton. _I'm gonna win this for the both of them. And for Keith. I'm gonna make them proud. _

Lucas was startled by the hit he felt from Nathan's shoulder. He realized that if looks could kill, he would be dead—because the look Nathan was giving him right now was nothing less than hostile. His words were no different. "You're not ready for this, punk. You know it and I know it."

He looked Nathan directly in the eyes, but decided not to say anything. This wasn't the time to get upset. This was the time to focus. His future as a Raven all depended on what went down on that court tonight.

He kept staring. Nathan scoffed. "Yeah. That's exactly what I thought." Then he jogged out of the locker room.

* * *

><p>The Ravens and Warriors lined up in their assigned positions on the court. Nathan and the other forward met at the center where the referee was about to signal their jump for ball. His opponent looked him square in the eye, attempting to intimidate him from the get-go. Nathan wasn't having it. He stared back at him with the same amount of intensity, if not more.<p>

The whistle blew…and both boys were airborne. Nathan had the upper hand, literally, and sent the ball flying in the direction of the other Ravens. The ball was caught by Tim, who dribbled it for a few feet, then passed it along to Ted on his left. Ted quickly passed the ball back to Tim who found Nathan in the open space near the basket. Nathan caught the ball on its bounce and went for a layup, scoring the first 2 points of the game. The crowd erupted in applause and the cheerleaders were a sea of waving pom-poms.

With full possession of the ball, Nathan flew down the court. Lucas anticipated his approach and carefully ran backwards to open himself up for a pass. Whitey had made it clear that he wanted them to split the post: five men would take their places above the free throw line—2 bordering the line tracing the center of the court, and in front of them 3 spread out toeing the lines of the inner circle. Nathan saw an opportunity for another basket with the assistance of Jake and Mike. They would help him score. It didn't matter that Lucas was open, he wasn't getting anywhere near the ball. _I don't need any help from that river court dog_, he thought.

Passing the free throw line Nathan quickly tossed the ball to Mike, then crisscrossed to the left side of the court. Jake moved into where Nathan had previously held the ball. Mike took a fake step in Nathan's new direction, and then in a flash tossed the ball back to Jake as Jake approached the basket. Lucas saw one of his opponents aiming for Jake and leapt in front of the guy while putting his hands up. Thanks to Luke, Jake was in the clear to make the next layup—and he did.

The crowd roared once again as 2 more points were put on the scoreboard for the Ravens. Jake reached out to Lucas for a high five, which he was more than happy to return.

Very subtlety, Nathan shot Lucas a look of disdain. The fact that Lucas had made a small contribution in scoring this basket really irked him. It didn't help that Dan's stone cold expression in the bleachers left him walking on eggshells. Tim and Ted's eyes caught his, and there was a mutual understanding that Lucas's little power play would never happen again.

Brooke and Peyton were heard cheering "Go Ravens Go!" in unison with the rest of their squad. Lucas ran back up the court and passed them, dying to get a glance at Peyton. He wanted to see the look of pride in her eyes, if only for a moment. Her faith in him was a major part in what brought him there in the first place. Those beautiful green eyes inspired him like nothing else in the world ever had…not even the game itself.

In that fleeting moment when he looked at her, he immediately felt his heart jolt—and not in a good way. Her eyes did not meet his—not by a long shot. He was running right in front of her, but from where Peyton was staring he might as well have been invisible. Lucas swiftly followed her gaze. His worst fear came upon him when it lead his eyes to finally land on…_him._

Lucas watched as Nathan ran up along the court next to him. The recognition in his expression was evident that he received the message from the curly blond on the sidelines…his smirk clearly reciprocating her contact. When Lucas turned to see Peyton's reaction, he was horrified at the smirk she flashed Nathan in return.

_No, this—this has got to be for show. Peyton loves me. I know it._

* * *

><p>As the game carried on, the Warriors slowly caught up to the Ravens on the scoreboard. The score was now 68-66, with the Ravens barely keeping the lead.<p>

Nathan had been on fire tonight. He never missed a rebound and landed every single three-point shot he attempted. With only a few minutes left on the clock, he was determined to make sure the Ravens would score again for the win.

The Warriors had possession of the ball as they raced down the court in their efforts to score another basket. These guys were tricky; they were pulling out all the stops now to get ahead and tie the score. Their passes back and forth between one another were too quick for even Tim and Ted to try and block—and the Warriors made another basket.

Lucas knew he had to step up his game to try and help the team break the tie before the timer ran out, but Nathan and the rest of the guys were making it incredibly difficult to do much of anything. Every time he had been open—signaling for Nathan or Tim or any of the other guys to pass him the ball, they completely froze him out. It made him look like a fool. But oh, were they smart about it. They had a way of making their plays seem as if Lucas' presence was simply not needed. There would always be one guy that stayed particularly close to Lucas so that when Nathan or Tim would pass the ball in Lucas' direction, the tail-man could conveniently sprint right in front of him and make the shot instead.

And they did this all night.

The only person that even made an endeavor to try and pass Lucas the ball was Jake, but not even he could help Lucas conquer Nathan's manipulated game of isolation. In these moments of minor defeat, Lucas would cast a glance towards Peyton, desperate for some sort of encouragement…but she never once interchanged any kind of acknowledgement. She did, however, shout Nathan's name at the top of her lungs every time he made a basket—and that _killed _him.

His heartache over Peyton had consumed him…overpowered him. He tried to shake it off, but it only went so far. Considering what happened next—it wasn't far enough.

Lucas knew he had been running across the court with a purpose. He knew the other players had completely surrounded him, protecting their own teammate who currently had possession of the ball. He had his eyes on the game and knew his surroundings…until he turned in her direction. Without even meaning to, his eyes slowly drifted towards Peyton—and everything stopped. The game. Hell, even time. In that moment there were no other two people in the world, except him and her. In the distance he could hear the faint sound of a dribbling basketball growing louder and louder. He only had a split second to gain any kind of reaction from her. Yet he was waiting…waiting…_Come on Blondie—just give me one look—one look so I can finish this game with some dignity in tact…_

…and nothing.

Then he blew it.

The Warrior dribbling the ball was inches away from him now. Donovan was his last name, number 13. Lucas barely had time to respond as he snapped back into real time…into the real world—and his slow reaction turned his defense into a disaster.

Lucas had the perfect opportunity to steal the ball away, or even block Donovan from passing it to any of his other teammates who were closing in on the inside. But no. By the time Lucas realized what he could have done, the Warrior effortlessly ran past him—and pushed closer to the basket. Donovan passed the ball to his teammate in a flash to make their layup. The ball was inches away from the other Warrior's fingertips. He was poised and ready to receive it until the unthinkable happened.

Nathan took off like a jet when he saw the ball leave Donovan's hands. Seconds away from the other Warrior's reach, Nathan intercepted the pass and retook possession of the ball!

He quickly executed a bounce pass to Jake, who went gunning for the other side of the court.

The crowd went wilder than they had been all night. There was not a single person in the bleachers who wasn't on their feet. The rest of the Ravens took off after Jake, making sure none of the Warriors even had the chance to catch up to him. Jake eventually found Nathan again, who had crisscrossed his way through the opposition and was now inches away from the basket. The boys had a clear shot; this next basket would give them their win.

With what looked like an effortless play, Jake bounced the ball to Nathan high enough for him to jump up and slam-dunk it through the hoop.

The buzzer blared. Nathan hung onto the hoop for a few seconds as blue and white confetti

rained down from the ceiling. The Warriors looked defeated, shaking their heads in disbelief and slowly walking off the court. The rest of the Ravens piled up under Nathan and caught him on their shoulders as he slowly fell from the hoop. Brooke led Peyton and the rest of the cheerleaders onto the court to congratulate the guys and celebrate their first win of the season.

And then there was Lucas, who stood at a distance from the rest of his teammates as they reveled in their victory. Confetti clouded nearly all of his vision, but allowed enough clarity for him to watch Nathan turn Peyton around and lift her into his arms, kissing her passionately with definitely more tongue than he wanted to see. He knew he couldn't give himself away in his despair; no one knew that he and Peyton had secretly been in a relationship…not even Haley.

The next thing Lucas knew, she was racing towards him with her arms open wide.

"Hey you!" Haley shouted. She jumped him with the biggest bear hug in the world, and he could not have been more grateful for her timing.

"Hey Hales…" he whispered into her hair.

She pulled back from Lucas and quickly took notice of his melancholy expression. "Just brush if off Luke." He looked back at her knowingly. "Look, it was your first game! Don't be so hard on yourself. The important thing is that we won tonight—and _you_ were a part of it."

Lucas wanted to ask her what game she was watching, but instead bit his tongue. He knew Haley was only trying to help, and she was right. He _was_ a part of it, and he promised himself that he would make sure Nathan—and Peyton—remembered that.

He looked down at his best friend and smiled. "Thanks Hales, I'm really glad you were here to see this."

"Of course! Where else do you think I'd be, you big dork?" she declared as she playfully hit his arm. "So after you get changed, what do you want to do?"

"Actually, I was thinking we could crash the after-party tonight."

Haley's eyes widened. "Are you crazy?"

"Well why not Hales? Like you said, I'm a part of this. All of this. So I think it's my right to join in the post-game celebration."

Haley gave him a hard look for a moment. The Nathan Scott post-game beach house parties were never their kind of scene, but she supposed that Lucas just wanted to try and fit in with the rest of the team. He was getting enough grief from them as it was. So, after letting out an abnormally long sigh, she gave him an answer. "Alright, let's go to the party."

"Thanks Hales, you're the best."

"Yeah, yeah, let's just go and get this over with." She put her arm around Luke's waist as he did the same, and together they walked out of the gym.

**This was a tough chapter to write, but I'm actually happy with the way it turned out. I hope you guys feel the same! Feel free to leave a review if you like. :)**


	4. Chapter 4

_Hi everyone, we know it's been a really long time since we last posted for this story, but we're back and better than ever and more exciting stuff is coming your way! We appreciate all of your lovely reviews and really want to hear about things you like and don't like, so don't be shy :) We hope you enjoy the buildup this chapter provides for the rest of the story!_

"I can't believe you actually talked me into going to Nathan Scott's beach house," Haley whined. She and Luke were driving in his truck, going too fast for Haley's taste—and too slow for Luke's. He wanted to see what the hell was going on with his girl, and hoping—praying, despite his anger and confusion that Nathan's obnoxious lips were far, _far_ away from hers.

The pain from what happened during the game continued to resonate in his chest, and he was using all of his will power to hide it from Haley.

"It's just a party Hales," he replied dryly.

Haley rolled her eyes at him. "How long do we have to stay? I'm opening the café for your Mom tomorrow."

_Just long enough to talk to Peyton_. "Look we'll make the rounds, and then we can bail if you want. And hey, you never know, there might actually be some people there that are…not terrible."

Haley once again rolled her eyes. She had a feeling she'd be doing that a lot tonight. "Yeah? Like who? We have slutty cheer captain Brooke, airhead cheerleader Bevin, and let's not forget little Miss Sunshine Peyton Sawyer—"

Lucas swerved his truck, almost causing Haley's ugly poncho to completely fly off her shoulders. "LUKE! What the hell was that?"

In an instant Lucas recovered and caught his breath. "Nothing—a squirrel just—I didn't want to hit him."

Her eyes narrowed. "_I _didn't see a squirrel."

"Well, that's because you were too busy dissing all of our cheerleaders."

"Well all of our cheerleaders must be here tonight." Her chin pointed in the direction of the beach house. "Look at the turnout this guy's got. We'll be lucky if we ever find a spot in all of this mess."

Luke slowed down his truck, gazing at all of the parked cars ahead of him. Haley was right, finding parking would be a miracle. A flash of light caught his attention from the corner of his eye. He and his best friend turned towards the gorgeously lit up beach house filled with their drunken classmates, then back to one another.

_He we go…_

* * *

><p>Their first sight of the party did not fail to disappoint. Upon opening the giant double doors Haley and Luke got a front row seat to Brooke's one-woman show. She was doing a handstand and drinking from the keg tap, defying all laws of gravity in the way that only she could do.<p>

"Ok! I'm ready to go now!" Haley said.

She began to walk away when Lucas grabbed her arm. "Uh uh uh, not so fast. Look—I see Joe and Katie from Biology over there." He pointed to the corner opposite of where they were standing. "Why don't you go say hi? I bet Joe is missing his favorite science tutor…" He grinned.

"Fine, but only if you come with me." She said.

Before he had the chance to answer her, the sight he caught out of the corner of his eye made his heart stop.

There she was.

Tossing her blond curls over her shoulder, Peyton approached her best friend and helped turn her right side up from her upside down keg maneuver. Brooke was struggling to stand on her own, her arms completely engulfing Peyton as she attempted to help her to her feet.

"Whoa whoa whoa whoa—easy girl. We need to get you on that couch—pronto."

"But _Peyton!_"

"No arguments B. Davis. Couch. You're butt. Now."

"Oh, alright. Way to spoil all of my fun…"

"Trust me, you'll thank me later."

Back across the room, Haley waved her hands in front of Luke's face. "Hellooooo! Earth to Lucas! Are you coming with me or not?"

Lucas snapped out of his Peyton-induced trance. "Yup! Right behind you," he quickly recovered.

Peyton half carried, half dragged a very sloshed Brooke Davis over to the couch where the second string cheerleaders were sitting, Bevin and Theresa barking orders at them to make way for their captain. There was no need to tell them twice.

Once Brooke had been sitting for a while, her composure began to improve quite a bit. She was ready for round two. "P. Sawyer, be a pal and get me another beer. Or a Raven," she smirked.

"Oh yeah, you're fine," Peyton quipped. She stood up and walked towards the keg to get Brooke another cup of beer, but instead spotted a Raven. _Her Raven_.

Their eyes locked instantly, and neither of them moved. Peyton tried to read his expression, but for the first time honestly did not know what he was thinking. All she knew was that they needed to talk. Now.

Putting the cup on top of the keg, she subtly made her way up the stairs, her eyes indicating that he should follow.

Meanwhile, Haley was berating Joe for his recent slacking in biology. "You're smart Joe, I know you can do better than a C average if you spent less time at parties like this and more time studying."

"Oh yeah, Biology is just as much fun as watching Brooke Davis doing a handstand on the keg," he laughed. "Speaking of, I'm going to get another beer. Do you guys want to come with?"

"Sure buddy, that sounds good." Lucas said.

Haley gave him a scolding look. "Oh really? Well I guess that makes me the sober driver for the rest of the evening. Thanks anyway Joe."

"Yeah, I think I'm gonna take a page out of Haley's book." Kate said.

"Thank you, at least _someone_ will be keeping me company."

"Hales don't be so dramatic, I'll be back before you know it."

Joe and Lucas walked towards where the keg was in the living room. Halfway there, Lucas put a hand on Joe's shoulder. "Hey man can you grab a bottle for me? I'm just going to find the bathroom."

"Sure, I'll see you in a bit."

"Thanks."

* * *

><p>Peyton turned away from the balcony at the sound of the door opening. She peeked her head out cautiously, in case it was someone else entering the room entirely. Luckily for her, the person entering the room was exactly the person she wanted to see.<p>

Peyton stepped in to the bedroom. "Lock the door," she whispered.

He did as she told him, not taking his eyes off her for one second. He gazed upon her for another moment, then motioned his eyes toward the bed. "So that's is what this is all about?"

Peyton followed his gaze, her eyes widening at the realization of what he was implying. "No! No—God—Luke I wanted you to come up here because I need to talk to you."

"About what?"

"About tonight. About the game."

Lucas flinched a bit as thoughts of the game came rushing back to him. It hurt to think about it, but he did want to get a couple of things straight. If Nathan was the one Peyton really wanted, he just wanted to know. No games, no lying—just the truth.

"Ok, let's hear it then. What about the game?"

Peyton folded her arms. "I saw you watching me."

"Really? In all the time you were cheering Nathan's name and flashing him sexy little smirks across the gym you actually had time to watch me? How flattering."

"Lucas I couldn't—I couldn't take the chance of him seeing me give you any kind of acknowledgement. Not during the game. It was too risky."

"Peyton, look, this—what we're doing, sneaking around…I don't want to hide anymore. I'm tired of pretending in front of everyone else…in front of _him_…that I don't love you. That you don't mean anything to me."

That feeling in her chest…that aching, longing feeling that panged within her heart resurfaced as he said those words. He was standing right in front of her, yet he seemed miles from her reach. "Lucas I love you too. I love _only you_. That's why I acted the way I did tonight. There was more going on with Nathan than you realize."

He walked closer to her until her face was inches from his. The solemnity in her eyes made him wonder what was really going on. He took her hands and held them. "Peyton, what's going on?"

She exhaled. "I didn't ignore you during the game without a good reason. Believe me, I wanted nothing more than to be the one to give you encouragement and cheer you on. I wanted to make you feel strong out there."

"But, you were afraid. Of Nathan."

"Yes."

"Why? What did he tell you?"

Peyton sighed in frustration. "It's not anything that he's told me, specifically. It's just something that I know he wants to do." She sat down on the bed and motioned for Lucas to join her. "Whenever any new player joins the Ravens, Nathan takes it upon himself to make their lives as difficult as humanly possible. He does it to make them prove they're worthy enough be part of the team."

"Like a hazing kind of thing?"

"Yeah. Only, after a certain point, the hazing stops."

"So that's why all the guys cow-tow to him…it certainly explains a lot."

"Exactly. Know of any new players who joined the Ravens recently?" she said more as statement than a question.

"He's after me."

"Yes."

"Then why hasn't he done anything yet? Nothing's happened to me since I joined the team, Peyton."

"That's true, but Luke he's just looking for an excuse. You're not just any new player on the team. You and I both know it's more than that."

Lucas ran his hand through his hair in frustration. "So Nathan's after me—so what? I can handle whatever he throws at me."

"He doesn't need another reason to hate you more than he already does."

The look in her eyes told him everything. "So that's why you…"

"Yes…I—I wanted to protect you Luke."

"Peyton…"

"I made Nathan think that he and I were back on track so that he won't give you anymore grief than he originally plans to. I don't love him. I just know how he operates, and if he found out about the two of us during the game he—

Peyton's words were cut off by the crashing sensation of Lucas' lips onto hers. He placed both of his hands on her face, caressing her cheek with his thumb all the while kissing her with more and more passion. She responded instantly. Her arms wrapped themselves around his shoulders as she slowly discovered the intricate details of the strong muscles in his back.

At that moment it didn't matter that a raucous party filled with all of their classmates was taking place one floor beneath them. It didn't matter that a few of those people downstairs might start looking for them at some point, taking notice of their absence. All that mattered was that they were there, together—and that's all they would ever need.

_Chapter 5 will be uploaded sometime this week (we promise!) as the party rages on ;)_


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: We own nothing One Tree Hill related. At all. Nada. **

**We really love all the reviews you've been sending us, thanks so much guys! We hope you like this chapter, it's a big build up for some very interesting things to come.**

"Bevin, how many times do I have to tell you? _I_ get first dibs on who the Ravens eat chips off first!"

"But Brooke—"

"No 'but's' Bevin! I am captain and I—" Brooke began giggling. "He he…buts." She whipped her head around to once again face Bevin. "Never mind that. Where is scrawny butt, Bevin? She's been like, gone forever."

Bevin was completely confused. "Who?" she slurred.

"My best friend, Miss Scrawny-Ass Sawyer butt! Where is she? I need to find her."

Bevin shrugged. "Maybe she's having sex with Nathan?"

Brooke arched an eyebrow. "Ahhh…good point. You're probably right. Figures she would leave me here and get her freak on with that—"

Brooke's rambling was interrupted by the sight of Nathan standing right in front of her. She looked up and flashed him a goofy grin. "Huh. You're here."

"I know you're wasted Brooke, but this is my house. Remember?"

She chugged down another cup of beer before she answered him. "Uh-huh…right. _Your_ house. _ Your _team. Everything just revolves around you, doesn't it big shot?"

Nathan looked at her like she was insane. "Whatever Brooke. Just tell me where Peyton is. I need to talk to her."

"Why? So you can screw her and then pick a fight with her, leaving her all alone afterwards while you stick your tongue down the throat of every cheerleader in sight?" Brooke shook her head. "No way, bird boy. Not on my watch."

Nathan irritably put his drink down on the table. "You know what Brooke? You can think whatever you want about me and Peyton. Hell, you can _say_ whatever you want about me and Peyton—you don't know jack. So why don't you just get off my back about stuff that doesn't even matter anymore."

"Because! She's my best _friend!_ And you're a _jerk._"

Nathan scoffed. "Well if I'm such a jerk why the hell are you even here? Go home Brooke." He stood up from where he was sitting. "I don't need this. I'm going to find Peyton."

"You'll be lucky if she bats and eye at you, buddy!" Brooke called after him. Her head lolled side to side and she stared at the empty cup in her hand. She sighed in frustration at the realization it was empty.

"I need another drink…" she whined.

* * *

><p>"Joe, do you know where Lucas went? He's been gone awhile."<p>

"He told me he went to find the bathroom when we went to get our drinks."

"But that was like, a half hour ago. Where is he?"

"I don't know," Joe shrugged. "Maybe there's a long line."

Haley scowled. "Yeah, maybe." She patted him on the arm. "Thanks Joe, I'm going to go look for him."

Joe smiled and returned to his conversation with Kate. Haley looked back at the two of them for a moment, and smiled. _They really seem like they're having a good time. At least someone is around here._

She made her way through one of the more narrow hallways of the beach house, fighting her way through people making out and dancing obnoxiously. She still couldn't believe what she was even doing there. _I don't belong here…this isn't me. _

Haley decided right then and there that she was going to find Lucas, kill him, and then make him drive her home so she could have some peace away from all of these people and their craziness. She wanted to go home and curl up with her book, letting her mind get lost in an amazing story rather than copious amounts of alcohol.

Haley pushed through the crowd, trying and failing not to brush against all of her sweaty, intoxicated classmates. Even though the number of people in the room had made the temperature rise, Haley was glad she'd worn her poncho. She couldn't help bumping into people, but at least her trusty poncho protected her from the unwashed masses.

_Ok_, she thought. _That was a little harsh_. She was just in a bad mood because she couldn't find Luke, and he was the only reason she'd bothered coming tonight.

As if on cue, a shriek erupted, interrupting Haley's thoughts. Turning to the source of the outburst, she could see a group of people gathering a few feet away, all looking down at the floor. Thinking someone was hurt (and knowing she was probably one of the few sober people there), Haley rushed to see if she could help—

And saw Brook Davis and another blonde cheerleader lying on the floor, basketball players hovering over them eating or licking Heaven knows what off their bare mid-riffs.

"Oh, lovely," she said out loud before she could stop herself.

"I was thinking the same thing," said a deep, unfamiliar voice from behind her.

Well, it wasn't completely unfamiliar…but who…?

Nathan Scott—or rather, Nathan Scott's chest was what she saw first when she turned around. She knew it was him by the giant 23 stamped on his shirt. Her irritation bubbling over, Haley took a deep breath and raised her eyes to his.

And froze.

His eyes were more beautiful than any dumb jock's eyes had a right to be. She'd never met them directly before—never really noticed them. They were set amidst chiseled features that Haley had seen on a regular basis her whole life…but standing face to face with him…the boy was beautiful.

For one second, she forgot he was the captain of the Ravens—the most popular boy in Tree Hill. She forgot he had a girlfriend, one that he cheated on regularly if the gossip was true. She forgot he was an arrogant, pompous, immature pig.

But she would never forget that he was the boy who tried to harm her best friend at every turn. She would never forget that she was more of a sibling to Lucas than this tall, blue-eyed boy before her would ever be.

So she would always treat him like the jerk he was. He may have a beautiful exterior, but inside he was hideous.

_Dorian Gray_, she thought, narrowing her eyes.

His widened slightly, and a hint of a smile appeared on his perfectly shaped mouth.

_So_ not the reaction she had been going for! Well, she could change that. _What had he said? Oh, that's right. He thought boys eating off of half-naked girls was lovely, too_. Of course, Haley had been sarcastic. She'd bet all her tips from Karen's Café that week that he was serious.

"It's called _sarcasm_," she annunciated, turning away from him. Unfortunately, there was nowhere to go. A wall of people now surrounded the two cheerleaders on the floor, blocking the half of the room behind her. The only way out was passed _him_.

"Sarcasm—

"Yes!" She interrupted, searching for a way passed him without actually having to touch him. "S-A-R-C-A-S-M. Look it up yourself—I'm off the clock."

"Off the clock?" He questioned, his smile now obvious on his handsome face.

With a small pang she was immediately ashamed of feeling, Haley realized he asked the question because he didn't know she was a tutor. He didn't know who she was at all.

_Oh, who cared_. So he never noticed she was the girl constantly at Lucas' side when he tried to bother his half-brother at school or around town. She was probably luckier staying off his radar, anyway. After all, Dorian Gray's love interest wound up dead. It never did work out for the women who got involved with—_why am I even contemplating this?!_

Shaking her head, Haley pushed passed him, no longer caring she had to get close to him as long as it meant she didn't have to spend another second in his presence. She spotted the stairs which may have as well been a lazy-boy as far as she was concerned. She was suddenly exhausted.

The bottom steps already had people sitting on them, but Haley intended to sit on an empty step further up. At least she did until a quick glance over her shoulder told her Nathan Scott was still standing where she'd left him. She didn't meet his eyes again, but she knew he was still watching her. She didn't even pause when she reached a step that wasn't already occupied. She kept walking upstairs, grateful for a place to go and get away until either Luke turned up or the party wound down.

* * *

><p>Brooke Davis' world was spinning, literally, out of control. At first she thought maybe the Raven at her stomach had done something creepy—but no, she knew the pang in her stomach all too well.<p>

"_Ohno_," she squeaked, sitting up quickly. She put her hand over her mouth as her stomach turned again.

Knowing the universal sign for "I'm about to lose all I've had to drink tonight", the Raven currently hovering over her leaned away like she just announced she had a flesh-eating virus—which, in her stomach at least, she felt like she did.

She scurried off the floor and the crowd around her scattered. This time it wasn't because she was Brooke Davis, but because no one wanted to find out how much she'd drunk first-hand. Brooke staggered to the bathroom off the kitchen as quickly as she could—and found a line longer than the one Peyton had made her wait on for tickets to some band with boys that wore more eye-liner than she did.

"Move!" She yelled, cutting ahead of everyone. She banged on the door. "Out! Pronto!"

"I'm not going anywhere anytime soon," came the reply through the door. "See I had these burritos after the game…"

Brooke tuned out the rest. She didn't need any more incentive to throw up.

"He's been in there a while," said the boy who was first on line. He looked familiar but the room was spinning too much for her to get a clear picture.

"He who?" Brooke questioned.

"Tim."

She needed no further explanation.

With a grimace she turned and lurched away.

"Wait—are you okay?" Asked the boy in her wake.

She didn't answer, strictly because if she opened her mouth, she wasn't sure what would come out.

A second later as she entered back into the main room, her stomach lurched again. Maybe she should have asked that boy for help, but it wasn't as if he'd followed her to make sure she was ok. It wasn't as if he really cared.

With another nervous shifting in her stomach, Brooke realized that was because there was only one person in this world who truly did care about her, even at times like this.

Brooke scanned the crowd but didn't see Peyton's trademark blonde curls anywhere. She contemplated trying to find her best friend, but her stomach decided time was up.

Remembering there was one other bathroom in the house—upstairs on the left if she remembered correctly—she ran up the stairs, stepping over and on other party-goers, and burst into the first door she saw.

Haley was sitting on the bed in what she assumed was a guest bedroom, looking out at the spectacular view of the beach through the sliding glass doors to a balcony.

_Being rich did have its perks_, she thought, gazing out at the ocean. The sand was lit up by the security lights from the back of the house, but the ocean was glowing from the brightness of the full moon.

It was so calm up here compared to the party downstairs—which oddly enough Haley could barely hear anymore. _Those must be some thick walls and floorboards_, she thought.

It was so calm. So peaceful—

Until the door flew open and Brooke Davis spilled in. Haley jumped up, expecting half the Basketball team to trail in after her. But Brooke was surprisingly alone and very sick, Haley determined, since the head cheerleader had grabbed the closest vase and proceeded to empty her stomach into it.

Going into sister mode, Haley rushed over to Brooke and held her hair back. She'd done this plenty of times with her older sister. Haley reassured Brooke everything was going to be ok and that it would be over soon, until it finally was.

Brooke sunk down to the floor, looking tired and pale. Haley attempted lifting her, but Brooke was out cold. Haley went into the bathroom attached to the guest room, wet one of the towels with cold water, and grabbed the roll of toilet paper. She grabbed a pillow as she passed the bed and returned to Brooke's side.

Haley put the pillow under Brooke's head, rested the cool towel against her forehead, and wiped away all remains of her not so glamorous actions with the toilet paper. She sat back, taking a deep breath—and realized she's just taken care of Brooke Davis, Queen Bee of Tree Hill, like a sister.

She stood back up, and began pacing back and forth, trying to figure out what to do. Brooke Davis had plenty of friends, but obviously not the kind that stuck by her when she wasn't so much fun. After all, Brooke had stumbled into the room alone. How many people had she passed downstairs that ignored her when she was obviously sick? When Brooke was fun, she was the center of attention like she'd been for most of the night. But no one stuck by her when she had a little too much fun, not as far as Haley could remember.

Wait. That wasn't true.

Though her party experience was limited, Haley remembered one or two where that pretty cheerleader with the curly, blonde hair had taken care of Brooke after she'd gotten out of control. Peyton Sawyer! That was her name. _Little Miss Sunshine. _She was Nathan Scott's girlfriend.

Haley shook her head. Maybe Peyton was a cheerleader and hung with the popular crowd, but if she was kind enough to take care of her friend when necessary, she deserved a better boyfriend than Nathan Scott.

Haley had to find Peyton, it was her only option. Oh, just great. She could just see how the conversation would go. She'd have to go back down to the party where Peyton likely would be lying on the floor now, Nathan Scott eating chips off her stomach and announce that Brooke was passed out upstairs and, by the way, you might want to throw away that big blue vase.

Brooke groaned and turned onto her side, the towel falling off her head.

Haley looked down at her, dreading the position Brooke Davis had put her in. And Luke too! When she found him, he was a dead man.

_This is why I don't come to parties thrown by Ravens_. Haley thought, pacing back to the bathroom. She grabbed a fresh hand towel and wet it, then turned to leave.

That's when she thought she heard a girl crying.

_What now?_ She thought, thinking it must be Brooke. A quick peek passed the doorway told her Brooke was still out cold. So then where…?

Again, she heard the sound. It was coming from the other side of a door next to the sink. She had assumed it lead to a closet, but it occurred to her now this might be a shared bathroom and the door lead to another bedroom.

Haley pressed her hear to the door…

And heard laughing. The girl was laughing not crying.

Haley should have leaned away then, was just about too, but then—

"You have the most beautiful laugh, Peyton. I could listen to it all night."

_Oh! Oh my God!_

Haley jumped away from the door. She'd found Peyton, all right.

Now she almost wished she hadn't, because the boy who was in there with her wasn't Nathan Scott. No, Haley would recognize that voice anywhere, because it belonged to her best friend, Nathan's half-brother.

The boy in that room with Peyton was Lucas.

_**Please R&R! :)**_


End file.
